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Three-dimensional imaging device

a three-dimensional imaging and single-lens technology, applied in the field of single-lens 3d image capture technology, can solve the problems of increasing not only the overall size of the image capture device but also the manufacturing cost, and the quantity of incoming light is greatly reduced, so as to increase the accuracy of the subject's depth information

Inactive Publication Date: 2012-05-10
PANASONIC CORP
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention relates to a single-lens 3D image capturing technology that uses a single optical system and image sensor to capture multiple images with parallax. The technical effects of this technology include improved image quality, reduced manufacturing costs, and improved durability. The invention also provides a solution for capturing two images with parallax without using mechanical driving."

Problems solved by technology

According to the so-called “two-lens image capturing” technique, however, two cameras need to be used, thus increasing not only the overall size of the image capture device but also the manufacturing cost as well.
According to such a scheme, however, images at mutually different positions are captured time-sequentially by rotating the circular polarization filter, and therefore, those images with parallax cannot be captured at the same time, which is a problem.
According to such a technique, although two images with parallax can be certainly obtained by using a single image sensor, the incoming light has its quantity decreased considerably when being transmitted through the polarizers and then the polarization filters, and therefore, the resultant image comes to have significantly decreased sensitivity.
However, the two images with parallax are shot in basically the same way as in Patent Document No. 2, and therefore, the resultant image comes to have a significantly decreased sensitivity.

Method used

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embodiment 1

[0043]FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement for an image capture device as a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the image capture device includes: a solid-state image sensor 1 that performs photoelectric conversion; a light-transmitting plate 2 with some polarizing areas; a rotation driving section 2A that rotates the light-transmitting plate 2 on the optical axis; a circular optical lens 3 that images incoming light; an infrared cut filter 4; a signal generating and image signal receiving section 5, which not only generates a fundamental signal to drive the solid-state image sensor but also receives a signal from the solid-state image sensor; an image sensor driving section 6 for generating a signal to drive the solid-state image sensor; an image processing section 7, which processes the image signal to generate multi-viewpoint images, a differential image representing the difference between the multi-viewpoint images, and an ordinary image that ha...

embodiment 2

[0079]Hereinafter, a second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The image capture device of this preferred embodiment adopts a different basic arrangement of pixels for its image sensor 1 and uses a different method for obtaining images with parallax from its counterpart of the first preferred embodiment described above. Thus, the following description of the second preferred embodiment will be focused on only those differences from the image capture device of the first preferred embodiment and description of their common features will be omitted.

[0080]FIG. 8 illustrates a basic arrangement of pixels on the imaging area of the solid-state image sensor 1 of this preferred embodiment. In this preferred embodiment, the basic arrangement of pixels is a pixel block consisting of four pixels that are arranged in two columns and two rows, and either color elements (color filters) or polarization filters are arranged so as to face...

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Abstract

An image capture device according to the present invention includes an imaging lens 3, a light-transmitting section 2 with two polarizers, a rotation driving section 2A that rotates the light transmitting section 2, and a solid-state image sensor 1 that has multiple pixels and their associated polarization filters. A first polarization filter 50a is arranged to face a first group of pixels W1 and a second polarization filter 50b is arranged to face a second group of pixels W2. The respective transmission axes of the polarizing areas P(1) and P(2) of the light-transmitting section 2 form an angle α between themselves. Also, the respective transmission axes of the polarization filters 50a and 50b form an angle β between themselves. And the rotation driving section 2A can rotate the light-transmitting plate 2 on the optical axis. As a result, multiple sets of multi-viewpoint images can be obtained.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a single-lens 3D image capturing technology for capturing multiple images with parallax by using one optical system and one image sensor.BACKGROUND ART[0002]Recently, the performance and functionality of digital cameras and digital movie cameras that use some image sensor such as a CCD and a CMOS have been enhanced to an astonishing degree. In particular, the size of a pixel structure for use in an image sensor has been further reduced these days thanks to rapid development of semiconductor device processing technologies, thus getting an even greater number of pixels and drivers integrated together in an image sensor. As a result, the resolution of an image sensor has lately increased rapidly from one million pixels to ten million or more pixels in a matter of few years. On top of that, the quality of an image captured has also been improved significantly as well. As for display devices, on the other hand, LCD and plasma displays...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): H01J40/14
CPCG03B35/08H04N13/0217H04N13/021H04N13/0203H04N13/211H04N13/218H04N13/204
Inventor HIRAMOTO, MASAOMISAKI, MASAYUKITAKAZAWA, TERUYUKISUZUKI, MASAAKI
Owner PANASONIC CORP